Seriously, it feels amazing, like you’re holding a real, resonant piece of wood, something that thicker poly finishes seem to hide. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. Epiphone introduces the Les Paul Special VE (Vintage Edition) electric guitar featuring the classic Les Paul profile with a lightweight Poplar body. This has an open gran so the finish and neck are not very smooth. I have learned the hard way to never take a $2000+ guitar to a gig! The Epiphone SG Special VE. I like it even better. The strings might be just the tiniest bit higher than I personally like, but having said that, it seems to make bends a little easier to grab and hold. Let’s get into the details. Epiphone knocked it out of the park with the Les Paul Special VE. However, this will let me experiment without committing quite so much coin. This is a good guitar for a beginner. It’s that good. A master tone, master volume and a switch (thats slightly crackly, but not too bad) is perfect for me, simple and to the point. Epiphone Les Paul Special VE Solid-Body Electric Guitar, Walnut. With the classic Les Paul design and noticeable mahogany body, this guitar model will impress an enthusiast of any level. Epiphone has an informative article on their website about it, and I definitely recommend checking it out. I too, am primarily a Fender man, although I have had one Gibson (ES175). Epiphone Les Paul Special VE Electric Guitar The Les Paul Special VE is a stripped down axe, available in multiple vintage-worn finishes. These basic guitars are still excellent and reliable instruments and are a great choice for anyone looking to test the electric guitar waters for the first time. I took the time to do some research on the Epiphone LockTone Stopbar/Tune-o-matic system and while I won’t go into too much detail, it is designed really well. I got the ebony model and it's a plain Jane. Quiet electronics. We like it. It doesn't fit in the same hard shell guitar case as the Studio. As far as the tuning pegs go, they look like the same ones as on the Epiphone LP with P90s. I think that was because of the fret board radius. I do like Epi's, and have been coveting a Joe Bonmassa LP. The Les Paul Special VE is powered by Epiphone Open Coil humbuckers and is available in beautiful “Vintage Worn” color finishes. It's hard sometimes to put aside our preconceptions about the "other" stuff, whatever that may be, and look at it with an open mind. But over all, I love the sound, the resonance and everything about this guitar. There's a problem loading this menu right now. I had assumed they would be similar but really quite different. I tightened those and haven't had tuning problems since. I've been acoustic guitarist 40 years. The Epiphone Vintage Special is slightly bigger and a bit skinnier than my Les Paul Epiphone Studio. For me, it doesn't matter since I don't play in a band any more and do all my playing seated nowadays. The body is made of poplar and comes in at about 1.75” thick. The guitar sounds great but it will not stay in tune. I’ve prided myself on being team Fender, and even might have for some strange reason, seen the Gibson/Epiphone side of things as the enemy. Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2018. This is a good guitar for a beginner. Epiphone used ceramic 650R and 700T pickups in the Les Paul Special VE. To my ear, they don't have as good of note separation as humbuckers in chords. Because at the end of the day, that's what matters - it's not about what's on the headstock, its about how you feel playing. The fit, finish, and playability of this guitar screams well past its $150 price tag. -HC-. Overall, this guitar is comfortable and a joy to play, has an accurate fretboard and great tone. Being new to the humbucker world, I’m definitely open to suggestions and information on some lower output/more articulate styles of humbuckers in the comment section below. Again, thanks for the review. It really looks the part. There’s also a mahogany neck, of course, but in an understandable nod to the increased scarcity of rosewood, the fretboard is … The neck was tensioned up with just a tiny bow in it, the way I like it, and the bridge was near perfect. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Ultimately however, I found the playability and feel of the Epiphone to be superior to that of the Squier. There will have to be some string height and intonation adjustments made, It has a loose action for me, but I like that. Epiphone describes it as a “1960s SlimTaper D profile.” I’m a big fan of the neck, it’s fast, plays really well, and has a really nice, light satin finish on it that I love. So if I could leave you with two pieces of advice, the first one being to always try and keep an open mind about things, inside and outside of your gear choices and brand leanings. I’ve had a rotating cast of Strats, Teles, Jazzmasters, Mustangs, the whole lot of them. When turning them they lose tension. I personally like Lindy Fralin pickups. Yesterday I installed a Bigsby B5 vibrato and vibramate plate which made the mounting even easier. I had been a Fender person for nearly all of my life, but at age 73 and playing again for about 4 years, I thought I might like this guitar. I like the P90s for their unique sound, though, and the other guitar is still a keeper. I think the vintage edition finish is not quite as nice as the worn SG they put out. Check out his music at lazarusband.bandcamp.com. Other than some of my own personal opinions on the pickups, I can’t think about anything wrong or detrimental about this guitar, it seriously is a great playing piece of gear. I don't pay much attention to external cosmetics, but it turns out that I like this look. My Epiphone is just as good as the Gibson Les Paul, at a fraction of the price.Epiphone's quality has sure gotten better over the years.I'm very glad that you gave attention to those guitars, in a few years, many of today's gear snobs will recognize Epiphone's place as great instrument makers, along side the "Big Boys" . That being said, the pickups are by no means bad, I’ve heard plenty worse. I’m not sure what the nut is made of, and after checking, Epiphone didn't list it on their site, but mine is cut well. Bonus: Head to Head with the Squier Bullet Mustang, Given that my last review was on the Squier Bullet Mustang HH, and that the Les Paul Special VE is a direct competitor to the Squier Bullet Mustang in both price point, and as a entry level, dual humbucker-equipped guitar, I figured I should go into a little more detail in how they compare. Powered by Invision Community. I like how it accentuates my play style. Prime members enjoy FREE Delivery and exclusive access to music, movies, TV shows, original audio series, and Kindle books. Even still, it doesn't play particularly well with my Overdrive pedal, even at its lowest gain setting. This has an open gran so the finish and neck are not very smooth. Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2020. It feels good, I like the way it sings acoustically and resonates an A chord for what feels like hours. Depends. You won't be disappointed. If so, click this link to join the discussion! An excellent instrument. I'm just a hobbyist but have had a few guitars over the years. I have been toying with the idea of getting a LP, to add some tonal variety to my playing, and this little beauty might just fit the  bill. I'll keep this one the way it is for awhile to see if it has tuning peg issues.